Franklin County, Nebraska

Franklin County
Franklin County
County
	Franklin County courthouse in Franklin
	Location within the U.S. state of Nebraska
	Nebraska's location within the U.S.
	Coordinates: 40°11′N 98°57′W / 40.18°N 98.95°W
Country	United States
State	Nebraska
Founded	1867 (authorized); 1871 (organized)
Named for	Benjamin Franklin
Seat	Franklin
Largest city	Franklin
Area
• Total	576 sq mi (1,490 km2)
• Land	576 sq mi (1,490 km2)
• Water	0.2 sq mi (0.5 km2) 0.03%
Population
• Estimate (2021)	2,889
• Density	5.2/sq mi (2.0/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district	3rd
Website	www.co.franklin.ne.us

Franklin County is a county in the U.S. state of Nebraska. As of the 2020 census, the population was 2,889.^[1] Its county seat is Franklin.^[2] The county was formed in 1867 and organized in 1871.^[3]^[4] It was named for Benjamin Franklin.^[5]

In the Nebraska license plate system, Franklin County is represented by the prefix 50 (it had the 50th-largest number of vehicles registered in the county when the license plate system was established in 1922).

Geography

Franklin County lies on the south line of Nebraska. Its south boundary line abuts the north boundary line of the state of Kansas. The Republican River flows eastward through the southern part of Franklin County.^[6]

According to the US Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 576 square miles (1,490 km²), of which 576 square miles (1,490 km²) is land and 0.2 square miles (0.52 km²) (0.03%) is water.^[7]

Major highways

Adjacent counties

Kearney County - north
Webster County - east
Smith County, Kansas - southeast
Phillips County, Kansas - southwest
Harlan County - west
Phelps County - northwest

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1870	26		—
1880	5,465		20,919.2%
1890	7,693		40.8%
1900	9,455		22.9%
1910	10,303		9.0%
1920	10,067		−2.3%
1930	9,094		−9.7%
1940	7,740		−14.9%
1950	7,096		−8.3%
1960	5,449		−23.2%
1970	4,566		−16.2%
1980	4,377		−4.1%
1990	3,938		−10.0%
2000	3,574		−9.2%
2010	3,225		−9.8%
2020	2,889		−10.4%
2021 (est.)	2,903	^[1]	0.5%
US Decennial Census^[8] 1790-1960^[9] 1900-1990^[10] 1990-2000^[11] 2010-2013^[12]

As of the 2000 United States Census,^[13] there were 3,574 people, 1,485 households, and 1,021 families in the county. The population density was 6 people per square mile (2.3 people/km²). There were 1,746 housing units at an average density of 3 units per square mile (1.2/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 99.24% White, 0.28% Native American, 0.06% Asian, 0.08% from other races, and 0.34% from two or more races. 0.64% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 63.5% were of German, 6.8% American, 6.6% English and 5.7% Irish ancestry.

There were 1,485 households, out of which 28.60% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.40% were married couples living together, 6.00% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.20% were non-families. 29.20% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.00% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.34 and the average family size was 2.87.

The county population contained 24.50% under the age of 18, 4.50% from 18 to 24, 23.60% from 25 to 44, 23.50% from 45 to 64, and 23.90% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females there were 92.80 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.00 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $29,304, and the median income for a family was $34,958. Males had a median income of $26,192 versus $18,214 for females. The per capita income for the county was $15,390. About 9.70% of families and 13.20% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.20% of those under age 18 and 9.40% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

City

Franklin

Villages

Unincorporated community

Macon^[14]

Politics

Franklin County voters have been reliably Republican for decades. In no national election since 1964 has the county selected the Democratic Party candidate (as of 2020).

United States presidential election results for Franklin County, Nebraska^[15]
Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party
Year	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2020	1,437	83.16%	276	15.97%	15	0.87%
2016	1,347	80.51%	250	14.94%	76	4.54%
2012	1,112	72.40%	384	25.00%	40	2.60%
2008	1,079	69.52%	442	28.48%	31	2.00%
2004	1,277	74.50%	412	24.04%	25	1.46%
2000	1,196	71.70%	420	25.18%	52	3.12%
1996	1,013	59.03%	483	28.15%	220	12.82%
1992	969	48.87%	477	24.05%	537	27.08%
1988	1,294	62.06%	768	36.83%	23	1.10%
1984	1,597	75.08%	522	24.54%	8	0.38%
1980	1,675	73.95%	441	19.47%	149	6.58%
1976	1,170	54.09%	941	43.50%	52	2.40%
1972	1,510	71.60%	599	28.40%	0	0.00%
1968	1,447	65.03%	626	28.13%	152	6.83%
1964	1,241	46.83%	1,409	53.17%	0	0.00%
1960	1,798	64.19%	1,003	35.81%	0	0.00%
1956	1,955	68.77%	888	31.23%	0	0.00%
1952	2,438	75.88%	775	24.12%	0	0.00%
1948	1,555	53.71%	1,340	46.29%	0	0.00%
1944	2,085	68.27%	969	31.73%	0	0.00%
1940	2,354	63.08%	1,378	36.92%	0	0.00%
1936	1,685	40.46%	2,350	56.42%	130	3.12%
1932	1,404	34.32%	2,633	64.36%	54	1.32%
1928	2,533	63.44%	1,443	36.14%	17	0.43%
1924	1,920	51.27%	1,331	35.54%	494	13.19%
1920	2,294	67.41%	1,030	30.27%	79	2.32%
1916	1,081	43.24%	1,345	53.80%	74	2.96%
1912	332	14.15%	1,148	48.91%	867	36.94%
1908	1,083	43.74%	1,298	52.42%	95	3.84%
1904	1,269	58.56%	471	21.74%	427	19.70%
1900	984	45.47%	1,122	51.85%	58	2.68%

References

^ ^a ^b "County Population Totals: 2020-2021". Census.gov. US Census Bureau. Retrieved October 21, 2022.
^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
^ Fitzpatrick, Lilian Linder (1925). Nebraska Place-Names. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Studies in Language, Literature, and Criticism. p. 60. Retrieved December 14, 2014.
^ Andreas, A. T. (1882). "Andreas' History of the State of Nebraska". The Kansas Collection. Archived from the original on May 8, 2003. Retrieved December 14, 2014.
^ Gannett, Henry (1905). The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States. Govt. Print. Off. p. 131.
^ Burr, George L. (1921). History of Hamilton and Clay Counties, Nebraska, Vol. 1. S.J. Clarke Pub. Co. p. 110.
^ "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". US Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Archived from the original on November 13, 2013. Retrieved December 7, 2014.
^ "US Decennial Census". US Census Bureau. Retrieved December 7, 2014.
^ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved December 7, 2014.
^ "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". US Census Bureau. Retrieved December 7, 2014.
^ "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). US Census Bureau. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 27, 2010. Retrieved December 7, 2014.
^ "State & County QuickFacts". US Census Bureau. Archived from the original on June 7, 2011. Retrieved September 19, 2013.
^ "U.S. Census website". US Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
^ Macon NE Google Maps (accessed 20 January 2019)
^ Election Results